Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Musings...The decades gone by...

Some stray thoughts... being part of the IT industry for last two decades I have had the opportunity to have a ring side view of a world metamorphosing in front of my eyes. When I entered the IT field two decades back very few people knew the world of computers existed and even fewer people believed that a career can be made sitting in front of a monitor...back in those days, anything to do with computers meant that you are one of those geeky, day dreaming creative guys punching yourself to glory...

Over the next few years as the 'computer fad' caught on...the middle class young college grads in India realized that one can make more moolah in one year in the IT industry than his dad earned in his life time in the conventional industry...as the herd mentality caught on, the local dream merchants started dishing out the right menus ..IT training courses to prepare you for earning millions in SAP..Recruitment companies to get you that dream positions in dreamier companies ... travel agents to service your travel needs...builders enticing you with that dream house ..marriage brokers with those "For me!" kind of beautiful girls ... and the list continued..

As the Y2K era dawned... many Indians found themselves all over the world either by accident or by design..making their dad proud (a guy whom his dad had written off as a bum) ...the 'foreign' bug was so bad that any opportunity to go abroad was not to be missed even if it meant cheating your employer...I remember an incidence ...when a guy took a month's vacation (sick leave) from his employer and travelled abroad ...helped by a 'body shopper' to do a project in Europe .. eventually found and thrown out..

Over the last several years, the 'new age' Indian 'having been there done that' attitude are returning home either out of choice or compulsion...Having seen both the worlds and with enough experience packed under their belts they are either occupying key decision making positions in various IT organizations or or rolling up their sleeves to create something that they believe is the right way or doing something to 'give back to the society'...

This short prelude will help me to link my future blog articles on the want/ needs and must haves of the new-age IT Indian. Till such time ...

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